BMS Tech Tips

Here are our archived tech tips. Hope they'll be useful to you!

Archived:

Need a way to show your students a process or animate a concept? Try Doceri. Doceri is an iPad app that has an interactive whiteboard and allows screencast recordings with sophisticated tools for hand-drawn graphics & text. There is even a built-in remote desktop control & you can upload your images to completely customize your lessons! Because of its screencasting (recording) capability, you can create quick videos to help meet individual students' needs (and use them again next year!)...great for differentiation!

Need a quick random Chooser for students and review? Here’s a quick Google Sheets document you can use. The directions for use are on the third tab. Super easy and can be used to randomly call on students or for a review.

Have students with vision impairments? Take advantage of adjustable font sizes or zooming. Students with visual impairments might struggle to read small text. Not all software and websites allow for adjusting the font size, but you can zoom very quickly on most by holding your CTRL key and using the scroller on your mouse.

More of a reminder than a tip, but don’t forget that the media center is open during bus duty for students needing to complete projects, including any that require them to use a computer or printer. Thanks, Marcia, for the reminder!

Looking for something to help your students stay focused?...Create your own recipe of ambient noises at Noisli (free, web) or listen on their pre-made productivity and relax mixes. It's a great source of background noise for those who can't work if it's *too* quiet.

Do you DREAD trying to find something in your Gmail or Google Drive? (ME TOO!) Don’t want to drill down through all those folders to get to a file? (ME NEITHER!) Forgot where you saved it? A quick way to find your files or even emails is to use the Search bar at the top of the Drive or Gmail screen. Even if you don’t know the name of the document or email, you can just enter a word or phrase that you know will be in it and a list will magically appear. Seriously…what power is responsible for such wizardry?

Have students using Google Docs and want to see who’s contributing to a group project (and make sure all communication on said project is school appropriate)? Need to restore work that has “disappeared”? Take advantage of the revision history to see who’s done what on a document. View this quick video to see how. (Thanks to Marcia & Glenda!)

Having students use images for an assignment in Google? Do you know how to have them use images that are permitted through the creative commons (images that are NOT copyright protected)? As your friendly Nabor-hood librarian, I’d love it for them to be more aware of this! Click the image button up above the file you’re working on (or click “Insert > Image …”). Then choose “Search” out of the tabs at the top. This search displays Creative Commons images that are labeled for commercial reuse with modification — the most permissive Creative Commons license. (Thanks to Lisa …she subscribes to Ditch that TextBook & gets all kinds of great tips she uses with her kiddos!)

When you upload documents to your webpage…try to get in the habit of converting it to a PDF first. This keeps all your great fonts & formatting & is as simple as: File ->Save As-> (& change the file type to PDF).

Ever closed a tab and thought (or said out loud) (or screamed!), “Oh no, why did I close that? Noooo!” If you’re using Google Chrome simply press Ctrl+Shift+T (undo close tab) and it appears out of thin air. It even saves your browsing history, meaning you can still hit the “back” key to go back…craziness!

Want to create an app for your classroom…try Yapp App. It’s a free app creator. With it you can create an app that parents and students can quickly use to access your assignments, calendars, news…you get the idea. https://www.yapp.us/

Have students logging into apps on BMS devices?…. Please make sure students log out of ALL apps that they have to log into on school devices (think Google Drive, Classroom, etc)

Last week I told you about downloading your Google Doc as a PDF, but did you also know you could create a PDF version in Word as well? Just go to File, Save As & in the field right under the file name is another field where you can select “Save as type”…just click the arrow and select PDF.​

Didn’t you LOVE the Google fonts from last week? The only thing is that you can only see the cool font when you’re in Google Docs….UNLESS, you download the document as a PDF. That creates a new document that will keep all of your cool fonts and formatting regardless of who opens it on whatever device.

Do you love fonts? I mean, do you REALLY LOVE fonts???? Then check out all of the great fonts Google offers…and the best part…they’re FREE! You heard me! Great fonts for free! (under Fonts, look all the way to the bottom for More Fonts) Now go get creative with all your new signs and posters!

Quit wasting time swiping through all of those pages of apps! Spotlight Search is the quickest way to navigate to an app on your iPad. Go to your home page and swipe down on the middle of the screen. Your screen will blur and once you start typing, search results – a song on iTunes, a suggested website, a message, a contact – will appear.

Interested in a Flipped Classroom? Try Knowmia. The Knowmia Teach app allows teachers to plan lessons and record their lessons for students. In addition to making videos for a flipped classroom, these videos can be used as tutorials to help students who need extra support at home.

Ever wanted to send your students on a field trip while you stay at school? Field Trip runs in the background of your mobile device, and alerts you to information about different areas as you travel by them. This is a great tool to help students learn more about their community.

Want to make your own interesting graphic? Try Canva.com Canva gives you everything you need to easily turn ideas into stunning designs. Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, flyers, POSTERS, invitations and so much more.

Yet another great Form Add-On is the Choice Eliminator. This will eliminate options from a multiple-choice, list, or checkbox type of question. Great for signing up for time slots or having students choose topics without doubling up.

Another Google Forms tip...use the Advanced Data Validation feature for text answers to ensure students are answering in the correct format (text only, using a minimum or maximum length, etc)

Did you know that our handy-dandy new printers are not only wireless (you can print from your iPads), but they also print double sided pages? Just select “Double Sided” from your print options and watch the magic happen…you don’t even have to take the paper out and flip it!

Did you know...you could save an image from a Word document? Just right click and "Save As" and viola! You now have an image file you can use. You're welcome!

Ever need to take a screen shot of your phone? For most phones you should be able to hold down your "wake up" button and your "home" button.

Curious if a webpage has been updated, but don't have time to check it every day? Use Visualping to help. It automatically scans the webpage and sends you notices of changes. http://visualping.io/

Need a document that can't be changed? Save your Word & PPT docs as PDFs. In Word, simply go to the File tab and click Save As. Choose PDF as the type (the dropdown menu right under the File Name window.

Use Kahoot to help with quick assessments. Even better than the "clickers"...students use their devices to visit the kahoot.it website & enter a designated PIN. Then they use their device to answer questions for quizzes you've already created. They earn points and you have the option to re-show items for further discussion. To watch the intro video visit their website http://quick.as/nyyt7b

Using Brain Pop? Take advantage of the Quiz feature for yet another way to give an assessment without printing the paper. Full Disclosure: Students will need to show you their scores.

Get ready for the new year with this great app from Cozi. It’s a calendar that syncs with all of your other calendars, but it’s so much more! Create to-do lists, shopping lists, birthday reminders, & best of all, it syncs to ALL of your devices (Apple, Droid, & Windows!)

Ever need to take a screen shot (picture of your screen) of your computer? Hold down the Alt and PrtSc keys at the same time. Right click and paste in your document as needed.

Are you really closing an app? On any Apple device: Double tap the Home button (the circle with the square on it). You’ll see mini-screens & then swipe from bottom to top. You should really see a difference in battery life J

Ever get Flipped Out? Fix a flipped screen on the desktop...press Ctrl,Alt, and the arrow key

If you have the Lenovo Think Pad laptop & need to get your screen to project, use the blue Fn key (Function key) and F7 key (top row) & click on Duplicate option.

a. Go to the BackPackb. Select a Classc. Select a Studentd. Select Demographicse. From there you should see: i. Network username & password​ ii. Lunch number iii. GTID (you’ll need for OAS)

Use Flip 3D to quickly switch programs in Windows 7 - hold down the Windows logo key and then press the Tab key. All the open programs will cascade across your desktop in a 3D stack. Press the tab key repeatedly –with the Windows logo key pressed until you find the program you would like to switch to, and then release both keys. A simple and quick way to switch windows.

Take advantage of the calculator on your iPad to quickly check your facts and figures...and count the votes of your favorite candidate.

Using ClassDojo? Did you know you can now share students and classes with other teachers? http://community.classdojo.com/t/how-do-classdojo-school-wide-features-work/2964

Need to send multiple attachments in an email? Save time and send it as a compressed file. Select the items you need to send in Windows Explorer (where you see your folders & files). Right click & choose "Send to Compressed (zipped) folder." Your files will automatically be compressed into a Zip folder

Interested in a new Ticket-out-the-Door idea? Try Plickers. a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. In a nutshell, students hold up response cards (yes, old fashioned paper cards), & you scan their cards with your tablet. Viola! Instant feedback on their responses. Go to plickers.com for more info.

Want to be on the cutting edge with Google Classroom? Classroom helps teachers create and collect assignments paperlessly. When teachers create assignments, they can choose to share a single document, or automatically make a copy for each student. They can quickly see who has or hasn't completed the work, and provide direct, real-time feedback.Students can easily see what’s due on their Assignments page, so they can stay on top of their work. http://www.google.com/intl/en/edu/classroom/#classroom-walkthrough

Want to limit apps students can access on an iPad? Use the Guided Access that is built into iOS on the iPad. With Guided Access you can “lock” a student into an app by disabling the home button. This is great to keep the students on task and stop them from exploring whatever else is on the iPad. Simply hold your home button and tell Siri to open Guided Access. Turn it on and go from there.

Using Dropbox? Take advantage of the Dropbox app to allow it to upload all the pictures & video on your device to the cloud, allowing you to access them anywhere and keeping them safely stored :)

If you get a popup box with a phone number to call to "clean" your computer...RUN! Seriously, if this happens, shut down your computer and take it to someone you trust. This is ransomware and will lock down your computer & hold it for ransom. Buford Tech will NOT put anything on your school computer that will require you to call or link to another site (you'd see Rodney's smiling face, not a pop-up)

Need another option for an online classroom? Check out Edu2.0 (Isabell & Lingerfelt have used this site)

If you haven’t already, make sure to create a BMS iTunes account. Here are directions on creating an account without a credit/debit card. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2534

Considering teaching online? Edmodo is wonderful option for making your curriculum available online and allowing parents to see exactly how students are progressing and class requirements, assignments, results, etc. edmodo.com (Wilborn, Brigman, & Nabors have used this site)

Gmail Tip: Archive messages to tidy up your inbox without deleting anything. Gmail gives you tons of free storage space so you can save everything you want. While messages in your trash get deleted after 30 days, archived messages are kept forever. Archiving messages moves them out of your inbox and into “All Mail” for safekeeping, so you can search for them later. It’s like moving old email to a giant storage room that you never have to organize

Gmail Tip: Clean up your inbox using “Move to” -- it works just like folders. Clean up your inbox using “Move to” -- it works just like folders.

Gmail Tip: Search your mail instead of sorting. Instead of sorting by date or sender, you can enter keywords in the Gmail search box to find the exact message you’re looking for. It works just like Google search: if you’re looking for a message that contains the word “shopping,” simply type shopping in the search box and press Search Mail.

Using Prezi for group projects? Make sure to have students "Share" the Prezi with everyone in the group. This allows all students to have access, even if one student is absent. They can also all log in at the same time and work simultaneously on different aspects of the Prezi, allowing for true collaboration.

Using ClassDojo? Now you can share classes with other teachers! Consider this when you come back in the fall :) You’ll be able to:

Want another use for QR codes? Include a quick review on your study guides for students with a QR code on the top. You can send students to your website, a video, etc.

Interested in yet another use for QR codes? Post one on your door for students to quickly have access to your website so they can get their homework assignments for the week.

Thinking about next year? Consider posting a QR codes on your door with links to your webpage, suggestions for great apps for students, your class syllabus, or your grade level's supply list webpage. Once parents scan it, they'll be able to quickly go back to your webpage or to the app at a later time! You'll save paper and parents will have it with them on their next Wal-Mart run.

JeopardyLabs allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world. Building your own jeopardy template is a piece of cake. Just use the simple editor to get your game up and running. https://jeopardylabs.com/

Purpose Games - Create your own games, host your own groups / classes, study for a test, or just dazzle others with your knowledge. PurposeGames is a completely FREE service!

Incorporate STEM activities by allowing students to use Scratch in the classroom. With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge. Have one more minute and want to be inspired? Watch this video for some great ideas...http://vimeo.com/65583694

rewordify.com - helps with differentiation. A web site that can change the vocabulary of text - including entire web sites. A nice feature because once the site is "rewordified" everyone can access it and it doesn't look different from the original, except for the words which you have to read to see they are different. Also the original vocabulary is just a click away.

Using your iPhone to teach? MasteryConnect (http://www.masteryconnect.com/)has designed a wonderful app to keep the Common Core State Standards at your fingertips. Navigate the app by choosing your students' grade and subject area to access detailed information about each standard. There are even extra resources to support educators working with English-Language Learners and students with special needs. The clean and simple interface will have you abandoning gritty photocopies and referring to the app every time you're planning a lesson or unit of study.

Even if you don't teach "spelling" give SpellingCity.com a try to help with vocabulary. You can quickly create a list, select the most applicable definition (or create your own) and then embed the link for students to access it on your website!

Using Study Island? Save paper and time by creating a custom test. Use the Custom Material tool to develop your test.

Is your computer still on break? Try the basic step of taking a deep breath and then restarting it. Many times this helps (both of you)

Use Evernote on all smart devices to keep notes and access them from anywhere, any device.

Use Reminders app on iPad to create...well, reminders & great To Do lists. Access it on the iPad or go to iCloud to access from a desktop

Quick texting tool to use for reminders for parents: https://www.remind101.com

Ever have a computer lock while a student is logged in? The easy fix is just to use the "Switch User" feature. This allows a second user to log onto the same computer while keeping the first student logged in, without having to restart the computer or look up passwords.

Quick troubleshooting:

- If a monitor isn't working double check that the electrical plug is in as far as it'll go on the underneath part of the monitor and the wall.- If the network isn't working double check that the network cable is in as far as it'll go in the back of the computer and the wall. Also check that the antenna in the back is still screwed in.

Create a DropBox account to save files "to the cloud" so you can access them from anywhere. Bonus: Ask Lamar if he'll install it on your laptop and work directly from there with no worries of updating multiple copies of the same document.